Soul star Patti LaBelle has reignited her legal battle with a New York mother after a settlement deal to end the dispute fell through.

The singer recently agreed to pay $100,000 US to settle a lawsuit over claims she hurled verbal abuse at Roseanna Monk in front of her young daughter at their Manhattan apartment block in 2010.

Monk claimed the bust-up occurred after the star accused her of letting her toddler play in the lobby and she filed suit when LaBelle refused to apologize.

The legal dispute was settled earlier this month, but the case went back to court on Friday when a New York judge ruled that Monk broke the terms of the agreement by allegedly talking about the incident on TV, according to the New York Daily News.

The two sides now have a chance to reach another settlement to avoid the case going to trial.